Athletic garments with accessory attachments

ABSTRACT

The present invention is directed to attachments for athletic garments, especially swimsuits. One of the attachments is a pouch-like removable pocket which is directly positioned on the main body of the garment. The other attachment is a capture member having a loop of material which can be tightened around an accessory having an elongated portion such as a pair of eyeglasses. Both of the attachments are releasably attached to the garment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention concerns garment with attachments for containingpersonal articles. More particularly, the invention is directed to agarment with a removable attachment pocket and capture.

Description of the Prior Art

After market pockets, carrying cases, and other types of enclosuresadapted for attachment to garments are well known in the art. Theseenclosures, also called “utility” or “accessory” pockets are generallyused to contain items which need to be readily accessed and which arenot easily transported by one wearing swimming trunks or athleticgarments, especially when engaging in an athletic endeavor at an outdoorvenue such as a beach. These items, such as keys, ID, watches, andsmartphones etc., tend to be valuable and are subject to theft if leftout in the open. While some athletic garments have pockets, the pocketsare typically not secure and, since they are typically made from thesame material as the garment, are not waterproof and do not provide ashock resistant environment.

Accordingly, there is a need for a garments with removable attachmentsfor athletes engaged in sports or leisure activities, where suchgarments themselves do not provide storage for personal items.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,205 issued to Kennedy discloses a waterproof pouchattached by a single strap to a user and made of cloth or similarmaterial. The present invention contemplates a pair of attachmentsreleasably attachable to a garment.

The present invention is directed to athletic garments with removableattachments, especially swimsuits. One of the attachments is apouch-like removable pocket which is directly positioned on the mainbody of the garment. The other attachment is a capture member having aloop of material which can be tightened around an accessory having anelongated portion such as a pair of eyeglasses. Both of the attachmentsare releasably attached to the garment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a major object of the invention to provide attachments for of auser during athletic activity such as swimming.

It is another object of the invention to provide a swimsuit having tworemovable attachments.

It is another object of the invention to provide a swimsuit with anattachment for enclosing items.

It is another object of the invention to provide a swimsuit with anattachment for capturing items.

Finally, it is a general goal of the invention to provide improvedelements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposesdescribed which is dependable and fully effective in accomplishing itsintended purposes.

These and other objects of the present invention will become readilyapparent upon further review of the following specification anddrawings.

The present invention meets or exceeds all the above objects and goals.Upon further study of the specification and appended claims, furtherobjects and advantages of this invention will become apparent to thoseskilled in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various other objects, features, and attendant advantages of the presentinvention will become more fully appreciated as the same becomes betterunderstood when considered with the accompanying drawings, in which likereference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout theseveral views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a plan view of the inventive garment.

FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the inventive garment with the attachmentsremoved.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to FIGS. 1-2, the garment of the invention, generallyindicated by the numeral 10, is shown. The garment is essentially astandard one piece bathing suit modified for the removable attachment ofaccessories. The garment 10 is formed of an elastic material adapted tosnugly fit the wearer and including a waist portion 20 of reduceddiameter between a lower 22 and an upper 24 portion, said upper portion24 including front 26 and back 28 parts extending upwardly from saidwaist portion 20 between a pair of arm cutouts 30 and joining each otheron each side of the wearer's neck to form a generally circular neckopening 32 which encircles the wearer's neck. Arm cutouts 30 arepartially defined by armbands 31.

It can be seen that the front 26 part includes a closure 38, which maybe fastened in the closed position as by snaps, or buttons, or otherfastening means. Just above the closure 38 is an attachment patch 39 forattaching a pouch-like pocket member 40. The pocket member 40 ispreferably formed from water resistant material and has an opening 42which can be closed as by e.g., a drawstring 44 or elastic band. If themember 40 is made of a waterproof material, and the opening is madewatertight, electronics can be stored in the pocket member 42 while thewearer is underwater.

Positioned on one of said armbands 31 is another attachment patch 46.This attachment patch 46 is sized to receive a capture member 50.Capture member 50 is essentially a band of hook or loop type material,while attachment patches 46, 39 are also formed of hook or loopmaterial. Preferably the loop material is positioned on the patches 39,46, as the hook material will attract lint which can make the garment 10unsightly over time. The capture member 50 can be formed into a loopwhich can be tightened to “capture” or firmly hold an elongated itemsuch as a pair of sunglasses. In a key aspect of the invention, the loopformed by capture member 50 can be made small enough to capture anelongated item such as the temple of an eyeglass frame or an ink pen.Accordingly, capture member 50 can form a loop as small as ¼ inch.

From the foregoing description, one skilled in the art can easilyascertain the essential characteristics of this invention and, withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope thereof, can make various changesand modifications of the invention to adapt it to various usages andconditions.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to thesole embodiment described above, but encompasses any and all embodimentswithin the scope of the following claims:

I claim:
 1. A garment with releasable attachments comprising: an elasticmaterial adapted to snugly fit the wearer and including a waist portionof reduced diameter between a lower and an upper portion, said upperportion including front and back parts extending upwardly from saidwaist portion between a pair of arm cutouts and joining each other oneach side of the wearer's neck to form a generally circular neck openingwhich encircles the wearer's neck, said circular neck opening definedpartially by left and right armbands; first and second attachment areas,a first attachment area positioned on said upper portion of said garmentand a second attachment area positioned on one of said left or rightarmbands; an enclosure for attachment to said first attachment and acapture member for attachment to said armband.
 2. The garment of claim 1wherein said capture member can form a loop of about ¼ inch in diameter.